As the world enters the digital information age, use of computers is at an all time high, and the rise in the popularity and usage of computer networks such as the Internet has exceeded even the most optimistic view of many computer developers. This increased usage of computers and the Internet has encouraged the development and growth of systems of e-commerce which allows consumers to now shop, bank, book travel, etc. from the comfort of their own home via the Internet. However, because computer networks were designed for the transfer of digital content, they are unable to deliver the physical products purchased online through e-commerce. In fact, often e-commerce systems do not offer a physical product at all. While physical products still require elements of traditional commerce, “information” products, such as digital content, may fully exploit the medium of the Internet to allow for a total e-commerce selection, purchase, and delivery, all without any physical objects exchanging between the customer and seller.
Despite the convenience of purchasing products such as software or audio files over the Internet, many content providers and consumers still appreciate having a physical representation of the digital content. Consumers may place a psychological value in owning a tangible representation of their digital content. For example, even with the advent of e-commerce, contemporary music is still sold on compact discs (CDs). Consumers often decide to purchase a CD, despite the advantages of downloading the music over the Internet, because music fans take pride in their music collections, enjoy trading discs, and like being able to transport their music on this tangible media.
Content providers also may find it advantageous to associate a physical object with the sale of digital content. Returning to the CD example, in purchasing a CD, the consumer is simply buying a license to play the digital content—the discs themselves provide only a physical embodiment of the rights under the license, and the license is bound to the physical disk. Further, because sales of the music are tied to physical units, it is easier for retailers to track consumers and sales.
While distribution of digital content on physical media such as a CD may have advantages, providing content over a network or the Internet has its upside as well. For example, the provided content may be periodically updated or changed. By utilizing the Internet to distribute the content, customers will always receive the most recent material without purchasing additional physical media. Also, a wider variety of content may be provided over the Internet, or a vender may have greater flexibility in offering customized sets of digital content. Lastly, a purely digital system may allow for greater security against unauthorized use. For example, if the content provider is contacted each time the media is accessed, the provider can monitor any utilization of their media.
Considering the foregoing, there are numerous advantages to both the distribution of digital content on physical media and to providing content over a network or the Internet. However, existing e-commerce systems are not able to leverage the advantages of utilizing physical objects with the distribution of digital content. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved system and method which utilizes physical objects in the distribution of digital content over the Internet or a network.